1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printer monitoring apparatus that monitors a printer, more specifically an abnormal status of a printer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, there is a computer system where a computer monitors status of a printer to recognize abnormalities such as empty ink or out-of-paper conditions. Such a computer includes and executes a monitor program for monitoring the printer abnormality. The monitor program is stored in a memory and acquires the latest status of the printer at a predetermined interval of time. It then displays any abnormal status, such as an error occurring in the printer. In addition to the abnormal status of the printer, the monitor program can also display a warning about various print settings when printing is to be performed or display a warning about a printer setting status.
Moreover, there are cases where an operator wishes to avoid an unnecessary printer status to be displayed, or a printer status being redundantly displayed with the one on an application window. In such cases, as discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-293344, there is a method for allowing an operator to select a status or warning to be notified by a status monitor program. This can in turn prevent unnecessary notification.
However, according to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-293344, when an operator sets an abnormal status of a device or a warning to a non-display mode, the printer may stop without printing a print job or without giving any explanation on the cause. As a result, the printer may be stopped in an error status even if another user wishes to print. Further, if a user tries to print from a personal computer (PC) in which a warning is issued, the user cannot proceed with printing because the previous job is stopped without being printed.